Partners In Crime
by Neelloc12
Summary: Brunofic. The gang gets together to celebrate Scooter’s 16th birthday and reminisce over Bruno and Scooter’s past adventures. If you don't like dogs, don't bother reading cause they're the stars of the story. Yes GSR and the gang will be there. WIP.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own GSR, CSI, Bruno, etc.

Rated: T

A/N: This is an idea I had and started a year and a half ago and finally got around to working on it some more. This idea came to mind weeks after my dog Scooter had suddenly passed away. While watching a CSI episode with Bruno("Hank") in it, I thought how much fun it'd be if the boxer had a canine friend to get into mischief with and this story came to mind. This story follows no time line. Lindsay will always be a little girl to me and Warrick is alive and well. As like all my other stories, this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. The past will be in italics for the first chapter, then return to normal type when it gets to the present. Hope you enjoy it.

Summary: Brunofic. The gang gets together to celebrate Scooter's 16th birthday and reminisce over Bruno and Scooter's past adventures.

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**PARTNERS IN CRIME**

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Chapter One-Prologue

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_**Four Years Earlier….**_

_Moving day had finally arrived._

_Grissom and Sara had been dating for six months and decided it was time to take the next step and move in together. It was also a big day for Bruno for he was not only gaining another human companion, but a canine companion as well. Sara was bringing along her dog Scooter, a twelve year old golden retriever/black lab mix._

_When Sara first moved to Vegas five years earlier, the only person she knew was Grissom. She felt she could use a furry friend to keep her company while she adjusted to her new surroundings and got to know the team, so she went on down to the local shelter on her day off._

_One by one Sara would read the charts on the kennel gates and then kneel down to greet the dog. On the chart it had the dog's name, breed, gender, age, color, length of time they've been at the shelter, and a brief summary of how they came there. Sara didn't want too small of a dog, like a Chihuahua or dachshund, but also didn't want a huge dog like a Great Dane or St. Bernard either._

_Halfway down the kennel Sara came to a chart that read **Scooter, golden ret./blk lab., MN, 7, brindle, 1 year-Scooter came to the shelter after his elderly owner was forced to give him up due to medical problems which facilitated the need for her to move into a nursing home where pets were not allowed.**_

_Sara squatted down to greet the dog, "hey boy, how ya doin?" Scooter sniffed at Sara's outstretched hand through the chain link gate, then began to pant happily while wagging his tail._

_Scooter was medium sized like a lab but had the body structure of a golden retriever. His fur was mostly black with golden hairs mixed in around his head, shoulders, and legs. "Well aren't you a handsome boy….and so sweet too. How come no one's taken you home yet?" She asked the dog as she scratched behind his ear the best she could through the chain link. _

"_Have you seen his age?" asked the shelter worker who had obviously overheard Sara._

"_Yeah, so what?" replied Sara._

"_Well most people who come here are looking for a puppy or a young dog four to five years tops. They see six and older and they think their best years are behind them and they're just gonna slow down.", Sara looked into the dog's happy brown eyes as the worker spoke, "you know two months after Scooter first came here I overheard a man say to his wife "six? Too old, he'll probably die in a few years""_

"_You're kidding me." Sara commented shocked._

"_I wish I was" the woman answered, "I wanted to bite the man's head off for his remark but I held my tongue. Instead I politely pointed out to the man that dogs and cats can live well into their teens if cared for properly and given lots of love. The couple left without choosing a dog and I'm glad. Didn't want to send one home with them anyways." Scooter leaned against the gate and sighed, clearly enjoying the attention he was getting from this stranger. "Unfortunately many dogs Scooter's age spend the rest of their life in the system. It can be very hard to place an older dog in a home."_

_Sara knew what it was like to live in the system, wondering if you would ever get a permanent loving home while younger kids got adopted, bouncing from foster home to foster home. Well she wasn't about to let that happen to Scooter. He was a sweet dog who deserved a good home. She didn't care how old he was. As far as she was concerned he was probably better then a puppy cause he was already housebroken and she really didn't have the time to spend teaching a puppy to go potty outside, not inside the home._

"_Well you can subtract one dog from that list cause I'll take him." stated Sara._

"_Really? Great!! Just follow me and we'll fill out the adoption form" answered the woman excitedly. She then turned and lead Sara back up front to fill out the necessary forms. Five years later Sara didn't have one regret in her choice to adopt the older dog. Scooter was as happy as ever and still had plenty of energy, minus a step or two here and there. A little grey now shown around his eyes and muzzle but you'd never know he was as old as he was unless someone told you, and now he was about to gain another master and a "little brother" in two year old Bruno-Grissom's boxer._

"_I hope Bruno doesn't mind Scooter moving into his home." worried Grissom as Sara and Scooter entered the house. Scooter and Bruno had met several times in the park and got along great, but had never visited each other's home. Grissom was excited to have Sara and Scooter move into the house with him and Bruno, but at the same time he was a little nervous that Bruno would become protective of his turf and turn on the other dog._

_Bruno trotted up to greet his new housemate as Grissom held his breath, waiting to see how his dog would react. Within seconds Bruno bowed to the ground in front of Scooter and wagged his tail. Scooter responded with a bow of his own and in a blink of an eye the duo was off and running around the room._

"_HEY HEY HEY BOYS!! TAKE IT OUTSIDE HUH?!!" hollered Grissom. He walked to the back door, open it, whistled to Bruno, and a moment later two blurs went zipping past him into the fenced backyard almost knocking him over in the process. Sara giggled as Grissom stumbled and regained his composure._

"_You sure he's twelve?" asked Grissom as he stepped onto the deck and watched Scooter chase the younger dog, occasionally pausing to playfully bat at each other. "Well you know what they say, you're only as old as you feel" Sara answered giggling as she joined Grissom on the deck and wrapped her left arm around his waist, leaning into his side. Together they watched the two dogs continue to play for another ten minutes or so before calling them in for supper. That evening Sara and Grissom both had the night off and relaxed together on the couch watching t.v., while the dogs laid on their beds and munched on some treats._

"_I think its time to get ready for bed" Sara announced as their program ended. _

"_OK" yawned Grissom as Sara headed upstairs to the bathroom to wash up. When she came back down Grissom had fallen asleep on the couch and the dogs were nowhere to be seen. Sara gently shook Grissom's shoulder, "Come on Gil, lets head to bed. Where'd the boys go?"_

"_I don't know" he yawned as he got up, "they were here a moment ago."_

"_BRUNO!! SCOOTER!!" they called as they headed up the stairs. "Maybe they somehow got out? Maybe I should check the backyard" Grissom suggested. Sara suddenly paused in the doorway to their bedroom. "Found them" she announced a moment later. Sound asleep on the bed, laying back to back with their heads on the pillows, were Bruno and Scooter. "Well, you did say it was time for bed" chuckled Grissom as he walked over to the bed. _

"_Alright boys, off the bed. You've got your own beds to sleep on." Reluctantly the dogs got off the bed and headed back down the stairs, each giving a grumble on their way. "Yup, I think they'll get along just fine living together" Sara giggled as she watched the dogs sulk off._

_**Present Day…**_

"WOOF!!"

"AHH!!"

*THUD*

"Damn it"

"You ok Gil?" Sara asked peering over the edge of the bed. "Yeah I'm fine" Grissom replied rubbing his thigh as he stood up, "just got startled by the "alarm clock" here and fell out of bed." Sara covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laugh but failing miserably. "Yeah laugh it up chuckles. You wouldn't be laughing if you landed on the hard floor" he said with a smirk.

"Well maybe you need to hang onto me tighter so you don't drift to the edge of the bed again" Sara smiled slyly at him.

"Well maybe YOU should hold onto ME tightly to keep me from drifting away from you." he replied winking his eyebrows as he placed his hands on the bed and leaned towards Sara.

"WOOF!!"

Grissom and Sara froze just as their lips were about to touch. "I think someone is getting impatient" Sara giggled. "Coming master" Grissom sighed as he turned around to face the six yr. old boxer now standing in the doorway, panting happily. Grissom followed Bruno out of the bedroom as Sara got up and headed for the shower.

"Morning Scoot" Grissom called down to the sixteen yr. old lab mix waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Over the past year stairs had become too difficult for the older dog to manage so he would wait patiently at the base of the stairs while Bruno went up to get their "parents".

"Happy Birthday old man" Grissom smiled, ruffling the fur on top of Scooter's head as he passed him and headed for the kitchen.

According to Scooter's records it said he was born in September but they didn't know what day, only the year, so Sara made the last day of the month his birthday. In celebration of Scooter's sixteenth birthday(hey, it wasn't every day that a dog got to see sixteen) Sara wanted to throw him a sweet sixteen party and invite the gang over. Luckily the whole team had the following night off so they didn't have to worry about anyone having to rush off to work. Somehow the big wigs thought giving each shift the day off once a month, and having the other two shifts split the time, would help save money. The team wasn't really sure if the idea made sense and would really save any money but they weren't about to argue.

"Here ya go boys" Grissom said as he placed the dogs' dinners in their raised stands. "Chew Bruno chew. Taste the flavor" he tried to order the boxer as he inhaled his food. He swore that dog didn't know how to chew, only swallow. Scooter glanced at his friend as he slowly ate his food.

"SARA DINNER'S READY!! COME AND EAT, WE NEED TO GET TO WORK!!" Grissom hollered awhile later.

Twenty minutes later Grissom and Sara left for work after letting the dogs out into the backyard. Their next door neighbor would let them back in later when he got home from work at midnight(he worked twelve hour days, four days a week). Sara hated to leave the dogs out during the night but at Scooter's age he couldn't hold it in all night and the couple would often come home to a small pond on the hardwood floor. Luckily the dogs were pretty quiet so they didn't disturb any sleeping neighbors. One of their neighbors happened to be a carpenter and built a custom made dog house big enough for both dogs at the same time, since they liked to nap together, to protect them in rainy weather. He even put hinges on the roof to allow it to open so they could help Scooter up, if he was struggling to stand, so they didn't have to reach in and drag him out and risk hurting him in the process. They very rarely had to do this since Bruno often helped his old friend up by bracing him with his own body till Scooter was up and steady on his feet.

"Are we ready to par-tay?!!" yelled Greg excitedly as Grissom and Sara walked into the break room. "Easy big guy, its just a party for a dog, not a neighborhood block party where you can meet some girls" chuckled Nick. "Hey, free food is free food" Greg pointed out. The gang had been having fun joking about having a party for a dog but in reality they thought it was a great idea. They considered the dogs just as much a part of their family as each other.

"Don't forget guys, party starts at three" reminded Sara.

"OK assignments" announced Grissom. It was a pretty easy night and every had simple B&E, robbery, trick roll type of cases ensuring they would get out on time and be able to catch some sleep before the party. "See you tomorrow afternoon guys, have a good night. I've got my cell if you need me" finished Grissom as everyone headed out on their cases.

**Next afternoon….**

*Ding Dong*

"Hi Aunt Sara, Hi Bruno" exclaimed Lindsay as Sara opened the door to welcome Catherine and her daughter. "Hey Linds, Hey Cath. Everyone is in the backyard waiting." Greeted Sara, "Hey Bruno, why don't you go wake up the birthday boy" Sara asked, looking down at the boxer standing beside her.

*Woof* he replied, as if to say "ok" and ran to the living room. *Woof* Bruno barked at the edge of Scooter's bed as Sara, Cath, and Lindsay walked past heading for the backyard.

Scooter didn't move.

"Is Scooter ok Aunt Sara?" asked Lindsay nervously when the dog didn't stir. "Yeah honey he's fine, he just has trouble hearing. See…you can see his chest moving." Lindsay nodded as she noticed the dog's chest rise and fall.

*WOOF* Bruno barked even louder, startling Scooter from his sleep and causing him to partially slide of his bed. Sara patted her thigh and called the dogs.

"Come on boys, lets go outside."

To Scooter it sounded like Sara was calling from outside, rather then the same room. As he attempted to get up his front legs, which had ended up on the hardwood floor along with the front half of his body, proceeded to slip and cause him to fall back down. He tried a few times to get up but each time his front legs would slip out from under him and he couldn't get any traction. "You need help sweetie?" Sara asked as she moved towards her dog.

Before she had taken two steps, Bruno had already arrived at Scooter's side and laid down beside him. He braced his shoulder against Scooter's side and pushed upwards as his friend made his next attempt to stand. He waited until he was sure Scooter was steady on his feet before stepping away. "Wow" Catherine admired, it amazed her how animals could show that kind of compassion.

Together the group headed outside onto the deck. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOOTER!!" everyone shouted happily as the group stepped outside. Scooter stood and looked at the group confused. He didn't know what the fuss was all about but everyone was smiling at him so it must've been something good and he loved the attention. He slowly walked to each person and got a scratch behind the ears, or a pat on the head. Bruno followed right behind him, anxious for some attention too.

On the table was a cake with two candles forming sixteen and a picture of Scooter's smiling face. Sara had bought the cake at a bakery that used ingredients safe for dogs so both humans and canines could enjoy it. She cut the cake and passed out the slices, placing Scooter's plate on an empty chair so he didn't have to bend down too far.

**Two Hours Later….**

Greg and Lindsay played Frisbee with Bruno in the yard while Scooter relaxed under a tree watching the trio. The rest of the gang sat around the patio table relaxing and chatting. "Hey guys, look what I found" Sara announced as she came out of the house. It was an album full of pictures of just the dogs and their adventures over the years.

"Oh I remember that day" Nick stated as he pointed to a picture. In the photo were the two dogs smiling, wearing bowtie collars, and covered in cake….wedding cake to be precise.

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_**TBC….**_

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A/N: Well I hoped you liked the first chapter. Just a little history on how they came together. I got my Scooter from my college(He was part of the Animal Care/Vet Tech programs) when he was 6 yrs. old and he had plenty of energy left in him. In fact he didn't really start to slow down till he was 14. The body may have slowed but his mind stayed young. Also the bit about Grissom worrying about Bruno reaction to a dog on his turf came from real life. Although Bruno was fine, I knew a dog who DID NOT like ANY dog in her house. She let them on her property as long as you didn't offer the dog food or water, then she'd go nuts. If she saw a dog peek its head into her house she also went ballistic. She was like a Jekyll and Hide. Other then that she got along great with dogs, loved kids(owner ran a daycare) and she loved cats. Next chapter we'll start with the reminiscing stories. I'm sure you can guess what story will be up first. Reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you'll leave me one for each chapter.

~Neelloc12~


	2. Wedding Daze

Disclaimer: Still don't own anyone from CSI(ugh).

Rated: T(just in case)

A/N: Thanks to those who left me a review. I love getting them and appreciate. I reply to everyone I get. This story is still not beta'd so any and all mistakes are solely mine. Hope you enjoy the next chapter.

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_**Chapter Two-Wedding Daze**_

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"Don't we all Nick, don't we all." Sara held her cheeks in her hands and shook her head, laughing as she looked at the photo.

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_***flashback***_

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"Mmmm" Grissom groaned happily as he stretched the sleep from his body, eyes still shut. Today was gonna be a great day, he could feel it. He rolled over and slowly opened his eyes, still blurry with sleep. Staring back at him were two beautiful brown eyes. Above those another pair of beautiful brown eyes_…."wait a second….four brown eyes?" _he thought. Suddenly his vision came into focus.

"BRUNO!! SCOOTER!!" he exclaimed as he bolted up.

Both dogs remained lying on the bed with their heads still on the pillow, Scooter lying on the outside with his head higher up then Bruno's. They turned their heads to look up at their "daddy" with curious eyes as if to ask "What's the big deal?"

Grissom chuckled lightly to himself. Sara would have loved to see this site. The thought of Sara made him sigh. They had only been separated for one night but it felt a lot longer to him. Even though they'd been living together for six months Sara felt it was important to follow tradition of the bride and groom sleeping at separate places the night before the wedding and not seeing each other until the wedding.

Man he hated tradition right now.

"Come on boys, time to get up. We have a big day ahead of us." Grissom said as he climbed out of bed. The dogs obeyed and hopped off the bed, following him out of the bedroom.

As the dogs ate their breakfast Grissom got out a couple eggs, some bacon, and a couple slices of bread for toast to make his own with.

*Slurp…Slurp*

Grissom looked down to his side and spotted the source of the noise….two sources actually. Bruno and Scooter sat on the floor and stared intently up at the counter, lapping their mouths.

*Slurp…Slurp*

Grissom chuckled softly to himself.

"Alright boys, you can have one piece each" He took two pieces of bacon and broke them up, dropping the piece into each dog's dish. "Tell your mother and we'll all be in the dog house."

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**20 mins. Later…**

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*GRRR WOOF WOOF GRRR* Grissom heard from the Bruno as he walked into the living room after taking a shower. "What's going on in here boys?" In the middle of the backyard was a big grey squirrel scurrying around and Bruno did not like it one bit. Scooter stood quietly by his side.

Grissom shook his head and laughed. "Come on boys, lets go for a walk." He decided to take the dogs to the park to run around and burn off some energy. He tossed a tennis ball as far as he could and Bruno would bring it back each time and drop the ball at Grissom's feet. Scooter was content with just running along side Bruno as he fetched the ball but never tried to get it himself. Sara suspected no one ever played with Scooter and toys as a puppy and therefore he didn't know how to play with them as an adult. To him playing was just running around with one or more dogs.

An hour later Griss checked his watch. "OK guys, time to go get spruced up for mommy." He walked them down the street to the groomer's.

"Morning Gil" smiled Lori the groomer.

"Morning Lori"

"Big day today huh?"

"It certainly is."

"You ready?"

"More then ready" he replied proudly.

"So what are we having done to the boys today?"

"Well you know the typical bath and brush out for Bruno," as if anything else could be done to a boxer's coat., "and for Scooter Sara would like the usual golden retriever clip. Trim the feet, legs, plumes, tail, and just neaten up the rest of the body please. Oh and could you put these bowtie collars on the dogs. Sara wanted them to "dress up" for the big day."

"Sure thing Gil. I'll have my assistant handle Bruno while I take care of Scooter. Just come back in a couple hours and they should be ready to go."

"Thank you Lori"

Grissom left the groomer's and continued down the street to the barber's to get his own hair and beard trimmed. Then he just walked around the neighborhood to kill time until the dogs were done. He returned two hours later as instructed and picked up the dogs.

"Well don't you two look handsome. Mommy's gonna be so pleased. OK guys, lets get back home so I can get my tux and wait for Nick and Warrick to come and get us huh?"

Griss and the dogs returned home ten minutes later where he called up Nick so he and Warrick could come pick them up and head over to Catherine's where the wedding would take place. The reception would be back at Gil and Sara's house but the wedding was being held at Catherine's house cause she had a beautiful gazebo in her backyard. Sara was already at the house since she had spent the night, staying in the guest room. Gil and the guys would get changed in Catherine's room. Cath, Lindsay, and her mother in her mother's room. Greg, who was gonna be there already helping to set up, said he would watch the dogs while Grissom changed and then get changed himself.

Nick and Warrick showed up fifteen minutes later and gently placed his suit bag in the back seat with theirs. Grissom sat in the back with the suits while the dogs road in the back of the denali looking out the window. They loved car rides.

They arrived at Catherine's twenty five minutes later. Grissom looked longingly at Sara's door as they walked by, feeling the urge to pop in and see her, but it seemed someone had thought of that possibility already. Brass stood outside the door with his wrists crossed in front of him as if he was guarding a celebrity or something. He even had his badge on.

"Sorry pal, just following orders." Brass said shrugging his shoulders when he saw the look in his friend's eyes. Grissom nodded understanding. He didn't like it, but he understood.

The next two hours seemed to fly by in Grissom's eyes. The last thing he remembered was standing inside the gazebo with the J.P. and the wedding party, watching flower girl Lindsay and ring bearers Bruno and Scooter(the dogs had been taught to walk on either side of Lindsay to the gazebo. Grissom's ring attached to Bruno's collar, Sara's on Scooter's) arrive at the gazebo, and then looking up at the house and seeing Sara lead out onto the deck by Brass. The site of Sara in her wedding dress took Grissom's breath away.

Next thing he knew he was back in Nick's denali, this time with one extra passenger then before. "What happened?" he wondered. Sara's giggle shook him from his thoughts.

"What?"

"You look like a deer caught in the headlights" she answered. Grissom blushed slightly. "Sorry. It's just I can't remember anything after I saw you in your dress."

"Is that a good thing?" Sara asked a little worried.

"it's a great thing" he replied smiling while giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

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**Two Hours Later….**

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Grissom and Sara danced with their wedding party and some guests out on the wooden dance floor that had been set up on the grass. Other guests revisited the buffet table on the deck while others just sat and relaxed and chatted. In a matter of moments the catering service would be bringing out the wedding cake.

Bruno and Scooter relaxed by their favorite tree, not far from the deck, and watched the people. Suddenly Bruno's ears perked up and he began to growl softly towards the buffet table. Scooter looked in the direction Bruno was staring. Scurrying in and out of the deck railing spaces was the big grey squirrel heading towards the buffet table. The squirrel paused for a moment, looked at the dogs, flicked its tail, then continued on its way.

Any other squirrel that came in the yard quickly got the hint that they were not welcomed there, but this one refused to stay away. Bruno again growled a warning, this time a little louder, at the rodent. Scooter never growled at the squirrels but always joined in the chases, thinking it was a game, and began to pant happily as he knew a chase was about to begin.

Again the squirrel ignored the warning as it grabbed onto the table leg and began to climb. That was the last straw.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF" Bruno exclaimed as he took off towards the deck with Scooter hot on his heels. The crowd froze when they heard the commotion.

"BRUNO…SCOOTER STOP!!" Grissom yelled.

The squirrel hopped off the table leg and took off as the dogs rushed under it and after the rodent. The table shook from the breeze. Sara buried her face into Gil's shoulder, afraid to look. Grissom exhaled the breath he had been holding when the table stopped shaking and all the food remained on top.

Women screamed and men jumped as the squirrel and dogs darted through the crowd. Bruno was determined to get rid of this intruder and refused to give up. Scooter was having too much fun following Bruno to care.

Chairs fell over as people rushed out of them to avoid getting knocked over by the dogs as they flew by back onto the grass. Bruno attempted to grab the squirrel by its tail just before they reached the tree but missed and the rodent vanished into a hole at the base of the tree.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF"

"WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF"

Bruno barked wildly at the hole as Scooter stood panting happily beside him.

"What's all the commotion out here?" asked the head caterer as he and his assistant stood on the deck holding the cake. Bruno glanced up at the caterer. Just as he was about to turn back to the task at hand something caught his eye. Something from behind the caterer's chef hat flickered….something grey and furry. A second later the squirrel popped his head up on top of the man's hat. Somehow the squirrel had climbed out of the tree, most likely through another hole, and managed to make his way back to the deck undetected by the dogs and up the back of the caterer.

"WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF"

Bruno and Scooter bolted back to the deck.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA" exclaimed the man, both he and his assistant frozen in place from the shock of the dogs running straight at them.

*BAM*

Bruno collided with his front paws on the man's chest as he tried to reach the squirrel. The force caused Bruno and the caterer to fall to the ground and the assistant to also lose his balance, causing the cake to fly up in the air.

Everyone watched helplessly as everything after the collision seemed to happen in slow motion. The cake appeared to float in the air for an unknown amount of time when in reality it was just a split second. The crowd watched as the cake dropped by down, aiming straight for the unsuspecting dogs as they looked for the squirrel.

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*SPLAT*

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Everyone shut their eyes just before the cake struck its target and cringed when they heard the sound. Grissom, holding Sara tight to him(she had once again buried her face in his neck), slowly opened one eye to judge the damage.

Sara could feel Grissom's body begin to shake, followed by a soft chuckle, that slowly grew louder. She looked at him a little confused before looking at the dogs herself and seeing what was making him laugh.

Sitting on the deck, still dressed in their bowtie collars, were Bruno and Scooter covered head to toe in cake and frosting. Sara stared in shock at the site. She then did the only thing she could do….she joined Gil and the rest of the crowd in laughter.

At first the dogs were a little confused at the crowd's behavior, but once they lad lapped a piece of cake and frosting off each other's faces they could have cared less.

Sara looked around for one of the disposable cameras they had set out for guests to take candid photos with as the dogs enthusiastically cleaned the sweet sugary snack off each other.

"Bruno, Scooter…smile boys" Sara shouted at the dogs.

The dogs looked at Sara, panting happily.

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*SNAP*

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_**End Flashback**_

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"That was the best wedding I've ever been too" stated Greg as he joined the gang on the deck.

"Me too" replied Grissom and Sara in unison. They smiled at one another and chuckled at their shared response as Grissom wrapped an arm around Sara's waist.

"Hey Sar, when were these taken? Looks like both were at the hospital. Were they taken at the same time?" rattled off Greg.

"Whoa, easy Greg. Let me see." Sara looked at the two pictures Greg pointed at. "Yeah they were both taken at the hospital. Remember when I broke my ankle at the lab?"

"Who are they?" asked Warrick.

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_**TBC….**_

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A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Couldn't you just picture 2 dogs covered in cake and frosting? Reviews are greatly appreciated so I hope you'll leave me one. I forgot to mention before that the description for Scooter came from my dog so if you'd like to see what he looked like, to help with visualization for the story(you would have seen Bruno on the show), you can find his photo on my profile "Neelloc12" at GSRForeverOnline or on the "Members and their pets" page which can be found under the "Totally Off Topic" page. Thanks for reading.

~Neelloc12~


	3. What's up Doc?

A/N: Sorry for the LONG delay but whenever I had motivation to write, I was somewhere where I couldn't write(like work) and when I was home, I didn't have the motivation. Couldn't get the two to meet up at the same time lol. Finally got the chapter done so here it is. Hope you enjoy it. As always this is not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine. Now onto the story.

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_**CHAPTER 3-WHAT'S UP DOC?**_

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Grissom pulled the denali into the parking space in the hospital lot and turned off the engine.

"You boys wait here, I'll be right back." Grissom said to the dogs in the backseat. "I'm just going to bring mama this book she asked for and then we can go to the park ok?"

At the word mama the dogs' ears perked up. They hadn't seen Sara since the day before when she went to work with daddy and had not come home with him that morning. They didn't always come home at the same time but the gap was never as long as it had been today. What if mama was in trouble? Grissom rolled the windows down a little, it was sixty-five out so the dogs wouldn't get hot in the car, and climbed out of the denali.

Both dogs barked frantically after him. They wanted to help find mama. They also wanted to protect their dad in case someone had snatched mama, they didn't want them to get him too. Grissom chuckled as he headed to the hospital main entrance. _"They must be anxious to get to the park. Probably want to chase some squirrels."_ he thought.

"How are you feeling honey?" asked Grissom as he walked into Sara's room.

"Well physically I feel great thanks to the morphine. Emotionally my ego's still bruised" she replied smiling.

"Well I DID try to warn y…"

"I know, I know" Sara interrupted Grissom, "I remember what happened. You don't have to remind me. I've got the proof." Sara pointed to her ankle in a cast.

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_***Flashback***_

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"Sara be careful there" Grissom warned as he walked into the evidence room, "here, let me get that for you."

Sara was standing on the top step of a two step ladder, reaching for a box on the top shelf. "No its ok. I got it. It's just a box of clothes"

"OK"

No sooner had Grissom turned around to grab a box off another shelf, he heard Sara yell.

"WHOAAA"

*THUD*

"Oww oww oww oww" Sara yelled as she gripped her ankle. When she went to step down she had misjudged where the bottom step was and completely missed it, her momentum causing her to fall to the floor.

"Sara, are you alright?" Grissom asked as he rushed to her side.

"No, I think I twisted my ankle or something."

"Come on, I'm taking you to the hospital." Without even asking if she could put any weight on it, Grissom lifted Sara off of the ground. "Catherine you're in charge. Sara hurt her ankle. I'm taking her to the hospital." Grissom yelled into the break room where Catherine and the guys sat drinking coffee. Luckily it had been a slow night. "OK" Catherine yelled back, a little bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

*at the hospital*

"Well Mrs. Grissom…"

"Please, call me Sara."

"Well Sara, it looks like you broke your ankle in two places." said Dr. Vescovi as he hung up her x-ray on the board and hit the light switch at the side to show her and Grissom where the breaks were. "Right here…and here. I've scheduled you for surgery first thing in the morning, 8 a.m."

"Surgery?" replied Sara.

"Yes, you're going to need at least a couple plates and some screws to hold the bones in place while they heal."

Sara collapsed back on the bed groaning in defeat. She hated staying in hospitals. She thought she would just get bandaged up and sent home.

"I'll have you sent up to your room in a moment and get you on some pain meds to help you rest."

"Thank you Doc" Grissom spoke.

"You're welcome. I'll see you folks in the morning." Dr. Vescovi nodded and left the room.

.

_***End Flashback***_

.

"Here's the book you asked for." Grissom handed Sara the Entomology textbook he gave her for Christmas years ago. It was a little worn around the edges but it was Sara's favorite book cause it came from Grissom.

"And how are we doing this morning?" asked Dr. Vescovi as he came in the room.

"Great, can I go home now?" asked Sara hopefully. Dr. Vescovi chuckled at her pleading eyes. "In the morning. Right now just rest."

"Everything go ok in surgery Doc?" asked Grissom.

"Everything went just fine. I just want to keep her one more night for observation." replied the doctor, "tomorrow I'll send you home with a prescription for the pain." he finished, turning to look at Sara.

"Thank you doctor" answered Sara.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have other patients to check in on". Dr. Vescovi gave them each a nod, turned, and departed.

"So…"Sara began, getting Grissom's attention, "how are our 'sons'. Do they miss me?"

"Of course they do. They've been a little anxious since I got home after your surgery. I think they know something's different so I'm taking them to the park soon to distract them. They're patiently waiting in the car."

.

_**Meanwhile back in the car….**_

.

Bruno and Scooter continued to bark and claw at the windows but Grissom did not return. It had only been a few minutes at this point but to them it felt much longer and they were certain their daddy could be in danger if they didn't go find him now.

Bruno looked at the door Grissom had exited. How did daddy get it open again? He glanced along the door and spotted a funny shaped piece of plastic. Ah ha, that was it. He remembered seeing Grissom pull on it and the door opened. Taking his paw he pulled and pulled at the plastic but it kept slipping from his paw. Bruno was beginning to grumble in frustration when he heard a click and the door finally popped open.

Success.

Bruno barked at Scooter before hopping from the vehicle and heading for the building. Scooter hopped out and followed suit. As they approached the main entrance they could see two giant glass doors slide open as people entered and exited the building, but they never touched the doors…how were they doing it?

Scooter stepped forward onto the large black mat outside the doors to investigate with his nose when the doors suddenly opened. He jumped back in surprise and the doors closed. Both dogs looked at each other with raised ears. Was the black square magic? Bruno took a step forward onto the mat and again the doors opened, but this time they remained open. When he stepped back the doors closed once more.

Again the dogs looked at each other. That must be it. The black square was magic and when you stepped on it, it opened the large glass doors. Simultaneously the two canines stepped onto the mat. As soon as it opened they sprinted inside. What they saw inside froze them in place. People everywhere. How were they going to find Grissom, let alone Sara, in this mess of humans?

At the end of a hall Bruno spotted the back of a tall man with salt and pepper curly hair. Daddy? Bruno took off towards the man with Scooter right behind him.

"WOOF WOOF"

"Hey boy, how'd you get in here?" asked the surprised man as the dogs screeched to a halt.

This wasn't their dad.

They turned and headed down another hallway. There was no time to waste.

"HEY WAIT!" yelled the man after them, drawing attention from surrounding people.

"Come here guys, you don't belong in here" said a man stepping in front of them as they approached the T intersection of two hallways. The orderly lunged first at Bruno, then Scooter, but the dogs were moving so fast they slipped right through his grasp and headed down a new hall.

Left, right, left, right. The halls of the hospital were like a maze. It was easy to see how people got lost here. After he thought they were away from the commotion, Bruno slowed to a stop and turned to face Scooter….but he was nowhere in sight. He took a step back the way he had just came.

"I think he headed this way." a male voice spoke in the distance.

Finding Scooter would have to wait. He had to hide and fast. As he looked around he heard a door start to open. Ducking behind a water fountain he watched a woman and a man with crutches come out of a set of double doors and head off in the opposite direction, leaving the doors slowly closing behind them. He took the opportunity and darted through the gap before the doors closed. Not a moment too soon. Bruno could hear multiple footsteps rush by.

"NO! I'm not doing it. Leave me alone!" screamed a young girl.

Bruno turned around to find the source of the voice. Laying on her back in the middle of a large blue mat was a twelve year old girl with short auburn hair. Kneeling at her feet was a woman about late thirties, tall, thin, with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and an I.D. badge clipped to her uniform. Glancing around the large room Bruno could see a shelf full of weights, medicine balls, large rubber balls bigger then his body, a few narrow tables with the blue mat material on them, and a man in his late twenties, dressed in the same kind of uniform as the blonde woman, picking up a folder and heading into an office off to the side.

Across from the pair, sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, was a woman about early forties with medium length black hair. A few strands of gray starting to show. "Amy please, do what Susan says and grip the tennis ball in your hand and stretch across your body. You need to stretch your lower muscles. Don't you want to walk again?" pleaded the mother.

"What difference does it make? My life is over." fumed Amy, crossing her arms across her chest.

Amy and her mother had been the victims of a car accident. They were on their way home from Amy's gymnastics practice one rainy day, Amy had just been told by her coach that with a lot of hard work and practice he felt she was destined for the Olympic squad, when they were broadsided going through an intersection.

A businessman had been talking on his cell phone when he failed to notice the red light. He slammed on his breaks, but thanks to the wet roads, hit a puddle and slid into the passenger door of their car where Amy sat. Doctors said the good news was Amy was only partially paralyzed from the waist down. With time and therapy she would walk again one day. The bad news though was due to the damage to her spine, her back would be too fragile to handle the abuse of jumping and tumbling. Gymnastics and the Olympics were out of the question.

"Amy, your life is not over. It just means you were meant to do something else with your life." Susan once again tried offering the ball to the young girl.

"NO!" yelled Amy smacking the ball from the therapist's hand, sending it bouncing towards Bruno.

"WOOF" barked Bruno happily. Besides gray squirrels Bruno had a great weakness for the fuzzy yellow ball and bounded towards the object, completely forgetting his mission. He picked up the ball and happily carried it to the girl, dropping it by her right hand, as the two bewildered adults looked on.

"Go away you stupid dog!" yelled Amy, knocking the ball away, as if it was perfectly normal to see a dog in the therapy room. Bruno retrieved the ball and brought it back, once again dropping it by her hand.

"I said go away" Amy huffed, this time throwing the ball across her body. Bruno leapt over her and chased the ball. Susan and Amy's mother glanced at each other with soft smiles. It wasn't exactly what Susan had in mind but it did the trick. Bruno brought the ball around to her ride side again, dropped the ball, and lapped her face. For a split second a smile started to form on the girl's face before quickly vanishing.

"Are you deaf dog? I said go." Amy again threw the ball across her body, making her stretch her torso. Again Bruno retrieved and when he returned, licked her face again. This time she couldn't hold back and giggled. Without a word Amy took the ball and tossed it. This began a fun game of toss, combined with a stretching exercise for Amy. Every time she threw the ball he brought it back.

"Try throwing it the other way with your other hand Amy." Susan suggested.

She did.

At one point she threw it so hard it bounced to the door. Bruno ran and slid to a stop, almost colliding with the door. Suddenly he remembered what he was supposed to be doing as he looked at the door. Quickly he ran back to the girl, dropped the ball, gave a bark, and ran back to the door.

"Wait boy, where are you going?" Amy called after him as he threw his weight against the door and pushed with his paws, opening the door enough to slip through the gap.

.

_**Meanwhile….**_

.

After slipping through the orderly's grasp, Scooter sprinted around the corner to the right. After a few more turns he came to a stop and looked back.

No Bruno.

He must have gone the other way in the chaos. He wanted to go back but he could hear voices headed his way, one of them being the man who had just tried to grab him and Bruno. Having no time to think, he quickly darted into the nearest room moments before the feet belonging to the voices came around the corner. As the voices faded he prepared to move when behind him a voice spoke.

Scooter?

.

_**TBC….**_

.

A/N: Yes a cliffhanger. Aren't I evil after such a long wait? Who do you think it is? Reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you'll leave me one.

~Neelloc12~


	4. ICYou

Disclaimer: Same as always. I don't own CSI, Sara, or Grissom, or Bruno. I just own the character of Scooter.

A/N: Sorry for the long delay but I've finally updated. This chapter is for my best GSR buddy *gsrgirl4eva* who just had surgery yesterday. Hope you're feeling better. As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine.

**Chapter 4- I.C. You**

Scooter froze in place at the sound of his name, his ears perked up.

That voice….

It sounded familiar.

"Scooter?" spoke the voice again.

Slowly Scooter turned around to face the voice.

"Well I'll be damned. It is you." the man smiled at him. The man was about a couple of inches shorter then Grissom but similar build with salt and pepper straight short hair and green eyes. He looked about early fifties. Scooter cocked his head as he looked at the man. He looked so familiar, sounded so familiar.

"Trying to place me huh?" chuckled the man, "maybe you're having trouble cause last time I saw you my hair was a little darker and I didn't have this" he said stroking his graying goatee.

"Come smell me" he suggested, holding out his hand. Scooter hesitated a moment before slowly moving closer. He kept his eyes on the man as he sniffed. His ears perked up again as his memory was triggered.

Jonathan? His old brother?….well, human brother. Without realizing it his tail began to wag slowly.

"See, I knew you'd remember me." Jonathan smiled, "I know someone else who'll be happy to see you." Jonathan turned towards the bed next to him and gently shook the left arm of the person lying there.

"Mom…." he gently spoke, "mom, guess whose come to visit?"

All around the bed machines beeped and whirred. Slowly the old woman opened her eyes as she turned her head, blinking a few times to clear the blur from her vision. She stared at the dog a moment before a smile began to creep on her face.

"Scoot Scoot?" came her voice weakly.

Mom?….wait….should he still call her mom? Technically she wasn't his mother anymore, Sara is, but she was his mom at one point in his life. Old mom maybe? Other mom? First mom? He decided it wasn't important right now. What was important was the fact they were reunited again, if only for a moment.

Scooter stepped forward softly to get a closer look. She looked so frail. Not the same energetic senior he had spent his early years with since he was a pup. Her face was thinner with a few more wrinkles. Her once salt and pepper hair was now mostly white with some sparse gray. The old woman dropped her hand beside the bed. Scooter gently licked her hand making her smile. She took her fingers and stroked the top of his head.

"Its been a long time hasn't it Scoot Scoot." Scooter closed his eyes for a moment as he enjoyed the gentle strokes on his head. His tail slowly swaying with enjoyment.

"I've thought of you every day. Wondered where you were. Were you happy. Did you find a good home….I still remember the day we were separated."

He remembered it too.

_*flashback*_

"_GET AWAY FROM HIM! YOU'RE NOT TAKING MY BABY FROM ME!"_

"_WHOA!" yelped the man as he jumped back, narrowly missing being struck by the old woman's cane in the midsection._

"_MOM!" Jonathan yelled in shock as he grabbed hold of his mother's arm before she could attempt to lift her arm again for another swing. Scooter sat on his bed beside the old woman's chair bewildered. He didn't know what was going on._

_Just moments ago he was happily munching on a biscuit. His "mother" sitting in her favorite chair beside him watching T.V.. Jonathan, who had arrived that morning, sitting on the couch nearby watching the program as well, when the doorbell rang. As he always did Scooter ran barking into the hallway where the sound of the doorbell rang, before finally running to the door to greet their visitor._

"_COMING!" hollered Jonathan as he approached the door._

_At the door stood a man in his mid-thirties. Short brown hair, brown eyes, and a boyish face. He wore blue jeans and a light yellow t-shirt with a shadow outline of a dog and cat logo in the upper left of his shirt._

"_Hi there. I'm Andrew from the Second Chance Animal Shelter. I'm here to pick up a dog."_

"_Oh yes. Please com in." Jonathan ushered the man in. "He's right over there….I wish we didn't have to do this but the nursing home won't let residents bring their own pets."_

"_I understand sir. You're not the first to be forced to give up a pet. Don't worry. We'll take good care of him and we'll make sure he goes to a loving home."_

_Andrew walked towards Scooter with a leash already in hand. "Hey buddy, want to go for a ride?" he smiled at the dog._

_A ride? He loved rides. Sounded good to him._ _But just as Andrew was about to hitch the leash to Scooter's collar the old woman exploded without warning into her rampage, swinging her cane wildly at the poor man, which brought them to their current situation._

"_MOM!" yelled Jonathan again, trying to calm down his mother, "STOP THAT!"._

"_HE'S NOT TAKING SCOOTER AWAY FROM ME!" his mother cried. Tears now streaming down her face._

"_Mom…mom look at me." Jonathan knelt in front of his mother's chair, "We've been over this before. You can't stay here alone anymore. What if you fall again? The home won't let residents bring their own pets. They already have a couple resident dogs and cats anyways you can love."_

"_I don't want their's, I want my baby….why can't you take him?" she sniffled._

"_We've been over that too. You know I'm always traveling for work. It wouldn't be fair to him. He'd be in a kennel more then he was home. It's for the best."_

_Scooter rested his head in her lap. He hated to see his mother upset. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and cried softly into his neck. He couldn't understand why she was upset. He was just gonna go for a ride. She knew how much he loved rides. Maybe she was upset she couldn't go with him. He lapped her face trying to reassure her he'd be fine and would be right back. Course what he didn't know, as Andrew was finally able to take him out to the waiting van outside, was that he wouldn't be returning to the house. Instead he went to the shelter where he spent the next year until that day Sara showed up and took him home with her._

_*end flashback*_

Scooter never completely forgot about his first mother but as the years passed he started having trouble remembering what she looked like. Also he was enjoying his new family so much she kind of faded to the back of his mind, but she was always still there.

"Hey, what's that dog doing in here?" exclaimed the nurse as she came in to check on her patient.

"_Has anyone located those two dogs yet?"_ squawked the voice over the security guard's walkie-talkie as he passed Sara's room. "A nurse just found the black dog in an I.C.U. patient's room. I'm heading down to physical therapy now. There were reports of the boxer being spotted in the vicinity." responded the guard as he continued down the hall.

"Black dog? Boxer?…Uh Gil?…Are you sure you left the boys securely locked in the truck before you came in?"

"Absolutely. It must be some other black dog and boxer."

Sara cocked her head and smirked at him as if to say _"You don't really believe that do you?"_

Grissom sighed.

"I'll go find them."

Sara chuckled as she watched Grissom leave the room in search of their escapee dogs.

"So this must be the young girl with the dogs in this picture and that must be the Scooter's former mom with him in the other." Greg stated as he pointed to each picture.

"Thankfully the hospital was understanding and didn't press any charges or anything. They just asked that the dogs be certified as therapy dogs before they could come back to visit any patients in the future. Hospital policy." Grissom commented.

"So where are they now?" asked Nick.

"Well thanks to Bruno's impromptu visit to the physical therapy room, Amy started doing her therapy willingly and began to walk again. Now she wants to be a physical therapist and use a dog as part of her program. As for Scooter's visit the old woman got better. Her son said he thought for sure he was going to lose her. She barely ate, refused her meds half the time. It was like she didn't care to live anymore. But once she saw Scooter she started eating and taking her meds again. Course we had to promise to bring Scooter to the home to visit her twice a week to make sure she kept it up." Sara chuckled, "thankfully the nursing home allowed outside dogs to visit as long as they were well-behaved and had proof of rabies vaccination. She eventually passed away eight months later but her son said she was the happiest he'd seen her in years."

"That was nice you could do that for her." Cath smiled as Greg turned the page in the album. "Oh my god" Cath exclaimed at the next photo, "What happened here?"

In the photo sat the two dogs smiling, covered in a mess. Surrounded by a larger mess in the kitchen.

Grissom dropped his head sighing, shaking his head and chuckling at the memory.

TBC….

A/N: So what did you think? Did you guess from the last chapter who had called Scooter's name? Now you know how he ended up at the shelter where Sara found him. Reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you'll leave me one.

~Neelloc12~


	5. Self Serve

Disclaimer: Same as always.

A/N: Same as always this story is not beta'd. Any and all mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy this little chapter.

_**Chapter 5- Self Serve**_

"BOYS! WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED IN HERE?" Grissom bellowed, shocked at the site before him.

"What? What hap…oh my god! Look at this place." Sara exclaimed as she came to a halt upon seeing the kitchen in disarray.

_Moments earlier…._

Bruno stretched the sleep from his body as he gave a big yawn. He glanced out the living room window to see the sun had gone down. He knew what that meant….time for dinner. He stood up on his big plushy bed and stretched once more. Beside him Scooter continued to sleep soundly on his own large bed. Bruno nudged his head against Scooter's chin, waking his companion.

"Woof" he softly barked at the older dog as if to say "wake up."

Bruno left Scooter to do his own wake up stretching and proceeded towards the stairs leading to their 'parents' bedroom. Halfway up the stairs a soft noise caused him to stop in his tracks. He perked up his ears and listened intently for the noise again. Bruno groaned to himself when he heard the noise once more.

Oh no….it couldn't be.

Not again.

Bruno softly trudged up the remaining stairs to the hallway, the noise getting louder as he approached. When he got to their bedroom door he carefully peaked around the corner. What he saw made him drop his head in disgust.

It was what he feared.

They were mating….AGAIN….and they weren't even doing it right in his opinion. Haven't they ever seen dogs mate before? Geez. Bruno turned around and headed back down the stairs dejected. Who knows how long they would be. What's worse he and Scooter would have to wait to eat. He couldn't interrupt them. Last time he did they screamed in surprise and then he got yelled at for scaring them.

As Bruno returned to the living room, one look at his face and Scooter knew as well that dinner was going to have to wait.

…..or did it?

A light bulb went off in Bruno's head. They'd seen their food prepared many many times before. Surely they could fix their own food couldn't they?

Sure they could.

Bruno headed straight for the kitchen. Scooter followed right behind, wondering what his young friend was up too.

Bruno stood in the middle of the kitchen trying to remember how he watched Grissom or Sara fix their food. First things first. He needed their bowls. Couldn't fix a meal without a bowl to put it in.

With his nose Bruno nudged his dish over to the large plastic food container holding their dry food. Scooter followed his lead and pushed his dish over as well.

OK…now what? Usually Grissom or Sara would pick up their dishes, put them on the counter, pop open the container, then take the scoop inside and fill the bowls with the food. Since they didn't have hands the dogs obviously couldn't do that. They would just have to improvise. So far using their noses had worked so Bruno took his nose and nudged the lid, having remembered watching the hinged lid pop up and back when Grissom or Sara opened it.

He tried lightly but nothing happened. The half full container remained closed.

He tried a little harder. The container wobbled slightly but still nothing.

Finally he gave it a good shove upward. He shoved it so hard not only did the lid fly open but the force caused the container to fall over, spilling its contents all over the floor.

Well it wasn't quite what Bruno had planned but at least it managed to fill both dishes in the process.

Now for the moist stuff.

Scooter had to admit he really wasn't a dry food fan. It was the canned stuff he liked. If it wasn't for that stuff he'd probably stick his nose up at the dry food.

Whenever a new can was opened the unused portion was put in the fridge and they both knew there was some in there now…..but how to get at it?

Bruno looked at the fridge for a moment. He'd seen them open it by the handle so he gave it a shot, grabbing it with his mouth. But it was no good. He stood back for a moment and thought again. Tied to the handle was a kitchen towel for humans to dry their hands after washing them in the sink next to the fridge.

Perfect.

He grabbed hold of the towel with his teeth and pulled hard. On the first try the door popped open. The bright light inside encased the food in a heavenly glow. Up on the top shelf sat the prize.

Bruno reached for the can with his mouth but it was too far back on the shelf. He tried to paw at it but it was no use. How was he going to get it so they could eat?

He stood there in thought for a moment staring at the can above when it hit him. He'd seen Sara pull the food out and then the shelves so she could wash them down. All he had to do was grab the edge of the shelf and pull it out. Then they could get the can, pop off the lid, and claw the food out.

Simple.

Bruno grasped the edge and pulled but it didn't move. Thanks to the glass quart of orange juice, a half empty quart of milk, eggs, and other various items the shelf was heavier then he expected.

He braced himself and gave a good hard tug. As if in slow motion all the items on the shelf flew through the air.

The milk jug landed on the floor by the dogs, showering them in a spray of white liquid.

The glass bottle of orange juice shattered on the floor next to the milk. Also spraying the dogs, leaving them in a sticky layer of orange liquid.

The lightweight eggs peppered the cabinets across the room like a machine gun.

***SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT***

A small, quarter-filled jar of strawberry jam got enough air to reach the counter across from the fridge. The jar managed to just brush the ceramic container of flour before smashing against the back wall and spraying its remaining contents around the room. The dogs looked like they had chicken pox or the measles.

The dogs watched wide-eyed as the container of flour teetered on the edge of the counter before finally tipping over the side and shattering on the floor below. A large cloud of white powder enveloped the room and the dogs.

As the cloud settled across the floor they came face to face with their parents standing in their robes in the doorway. The dogs sat covered from head to toe in flour, milk, orange juice, and jam. After Grissom finished bellowing they looked at each other and did the only thing they could. They panted happily at their folks, using their cuteness to hopefully bail them out.

Sara chuckled as Grissom sighed in defeat. The look worked.

"If you two were human you'd be grounded for weeks."

"How long did that take for you to clean up?" asked Warrick.

"About four hours. Two hours for the kitchen. Two hours for the dogs." replied Sara.

"Two hours for the dogs?" exclaimed Greg in shock.

"The orange juice and jam were sticky. Plus the juice, milk, and flour together formed a clumpy paste. It was especially a nightmare with Scooter's longer fur. Bruno wasn't too bad with his short coat. Took about an hour for Grissom to get him cleaned while it took me two hours to get Scooter cleaned up."

"Wow" Nick replied in amazement.

"They're lucky they're cute and loveable." Grissom teased, smirking at the dogs.

"Turn the page Greg. Let's see what's next." ordered Cath.

_**TBC…**_

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter and remembered that I said in the beginning that Warrick was still alive in this story. All reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you'll leave me one. ~Neelloc12~


	6. A Camping We Will UhOh

Disclaimer: Same as before.

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews. I love to get them. As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. Sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

_**Chapter 6-A Camping We Will Uh-Oh**_

Greg turned the page as instructed and found a newspaper clipping with a photo.

"Hey guys, remember this?" he pointed at the picture, "that was some trip huh Grissom?"

"You're telling me."

* * *

"Uhh…Gil?" Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Sara looked between the instructions and her husband. The tent was not looking as it appeared on the paper.

"I'm sure honey. Everything is under control."

"But the instructions say to…"

"Honey, I said I have everything under contr..WHOA!".

Without warning the tent collapsed inward, enveloping Grissom within it. Sara tried her best to muffle her laughter.

"Oh ha ha"

Bruno and Scooter investigated the talking lump, sniffing around the canvas material.

"Boys, this is what happens when men, like your daddy, don't follow the instructions BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY DON'T NEED THEM." Sara emphasized the last part.

Grissom finally found his way out of the tangled web of canvas.

"Are you trying to 'hint' at something DEAR?" Grissom asked sarcastically.

"Oh NOOOOoooo. Not at all" Sara smirked.

"OK, OK you've made your point. Let me see the instructions." Grissom sighed.

*giggle*

Sara turned around to find two young children standing behind them.

"Well hello there. And who may you be?"

"I'm Connor" replied the 8 yr. old boy. He was thin with sandy short hair and green eyes, "and this is my sister Jenny" he pointed to the thin 6 yr. old girl beside him. She had the same colored hair that reached to the middle of her back, same colored eyes, and she wore a light blue headband in her hair. "We wanted to know if we could play with your dogs? Mom said it was ok with her if it was ok with you. We're staying right over there." Connor pointed to a campsite a few spots down and across the way. "So can we? Please?'

Sara glanced at Grissom staring intently at the instructions in his hands and muttering to himself.

"_They call this English? Looks like Greek to me."_

"Sure. Hey, why don't I grab a tennis ball and we'll go play fetch with them in the field down by the water OK?"

"YAY!" the kids squealed.

"Gil, the boys and I are going to go play with the kids in the field by the lake for awhile. OK?"

"Uh huh" Grissom replied. Vaguely hearing her.

Sara grabbed a ball from the dogs' bag.

"Come on kids. Let's go."

* * *

"YAY!" the kids squealed as Bruno leapt and snatched the ball right out of the air. He happily trotted back to Sara and the kids, Scooter right behind him. Sara looked at her watch as Jenny took her turn to throw the ball.

She and the kids had been playing with the dogs for an hour and it was getting late. She had to get dinner prepared and the sun would be going down before too long.

"OK kids. I've got to prepare dinner now. The boys and I have to go."

"Awwww"

"CONNOR! JENNY!"

It was their mother.

"Come on kids. Dinner will be ready soon. I hope they haven't been too much for a bother to you?" She asked Sara.

"Oh no. They've been great. We've been having a blast."

"Awww mom, can't we play a little longer?" Connor turned towards Sara, "Can we play with Bruno and Scooter till your's or our dinner is ready?"

"Well….if it's ok with your mom."

"PLEASE mom?" the kids pleaded in unison.

"Alright alright" their mother sighed, "if their dinner isn't ready first and they send you back, I'll come get you when ours is ready. But you stay here ok?"

"Yes mom."

Sara handed the ball to Connor as the mother walked off, then turned and walked away herself. "You boys stay with the kids now!" Sara hollered back. Connor chucked the ball as hard as he could.

"GO GET IT GUYS!"

Scooter reached the ball first but just stood there as usual and happily let Bruno snatch it up and bring it back to the kids. Bruno nudged Jenny's arm for her to take the ball and throw it, but the little girl seemed distracted.

"Jenny, take the ball. He wants you to throw it."

"Connor look" she pointed without taking her eyes away, "It's a bunny"

Jenny loved bunnies. She'd been asking her parents for a bunny since she was four but they kept saying 'when you're a little older'.

"Hi Mr. Bunny" she greeted the small brown animal as she started to walk towards it. The bunny sat in a bed of clover nibbling away, occasionally twitching it's fluffy white tail. Jenny loved how their little faces moved as they chewed.

*snap*

Jenny looked down to see she had stepped on a twig. When she looked up the bed of clover was empty.

"Hey…where…oh there you are"

The bunny had hopped a few feet away in the opposite direction. Jenny giggled as she attempted to approach the small creature again, but when she got five feet away the bunny hopped off again.

"Hey wait Mr. Bunny! I just want to say hi to you!"

"Jenny wait up!" Connor yelled, trotting after his little sister and the bunny. Bruno and Scooter looked at each other before following suit. Sara had said for them to stay with the children.

The group of four followed the bunny down a trail into the woods. Jenny and Connor giggled as they followed the bunny up and down trails, between trees, and around large rock formations. Every time they thought they lost it, Bruno would bark with excitement as he found it once again.

"Wait Mr. Bunny! Don't go!" Jenny called after the bunny as it disappeared down a hole at the base of the tree. The kids got on their knees and tried to peer down the hole but the bunny was gone.

*grumble grumble*

Connor placed a hand on his stomach. They had been having so much fun following the bunny he never realized how hungry he was getting.

"Come on Jenny. We need to get back before mom notices we're gone."

"Which way do we go?"

"Umm…." Connor looked around. "This way…I think."

Connor lead the group back the way they just came from. When they got to a three way intersection he stopped to think. They all looked the same.

"Uhh I think its this way" he headed to the right. For the next 10 minutes the group traveled up one trail and down another. Every tree looked like the next. Every rock like the one before it. The four exhausted travelers reached the top of a hill and stopped. Thousands of trees spread out like a large green blanket around them as far as the eye could see. Connor looked for any sign of their campsite but there was none to be found. The foursome looked at each other in defeat.

They were lost…and the sun was starting to set.

_**TBC…**_

A/N: Aww yes. The dreaded cliffhanger. I'll try not to leave you all hanging too long. You know I love reviews so I hope you'll leave me one. Thanks for reading.

~Neelloc12~


	7. A Camping We Will Uh Oh part 2

Disclaimer: The same old stuff. I don't own anyone from CSI. Only the characters I made up.

Rated: T

A/N: Sorry for the long delay again. You know how real life can be. Thanks for reading along. I hope you're all still enjoying the antics of Bruno and Scooter. As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. Enjoy.

* * *

_**Chapter 7: A Camping We Will Uh-Oh part 2**_

_**.**_

_**Meanwhile at the campground…**_

.

"Mmmm that smells good." Grissom complimented as he breathed in a deep whiff of Sara's homemade vegetable soup. After fighting with what Grissom now called the 'god forsaken canvas death trap' all afternoon, the tent was now erect and he felt like he could eat the whole pot of soup.

"Gil, go get the boys and send the kids back to their folks while I fix their bowls would ya?" Sara grabbed a travel bag containing the dogs' food and began scooping a cup into each dish.

"Sure, where are they?" he scanned the horizon.

"They're over in the field. You should see them right th…" Sara's index finger hung limp in the air a moment before slowly dropping to her side. "Where'd they go? They never wander off." Sara's eyes darted from left to right. A feeling of panic started to fill her. "Where are the kids?"

"Maybe the kids' mother came to get them and the boys followed them back to their campsite? Come on, let's go check. I'm sure they're there." Grissom suggested.

"We have less then one hour of daylight left so I'm going to make this fast." Ranger Jones spoke loudly for the group to hear. "We are looking for two young children who were last seen playing with two dogs here in the field and are believed to be lost somewhere in the woods. First child is named Connor, age 8.…"

The search group of about 30 individuals listened intently to the campground's park ranger. When Grissom and Sara got to the family's site and found neither the children or the dogs, they joined together with the parents and searched the entire campground calling the kids' and dogs' names. When that failed they immediately headed for the security station at the main gate and alerted the ranger on duty, who then called the local authorities. Since the children had only been gone about an hour they could only spare a couple of officers. For all they knew the kids were within eyesight of the campground and could show up at any moment.

"OK folks. Let's get going and find those kids."

"Wait!" a young man in his early 30s hollered, "What about a helicopter with infrared cameras if we can't find them by nightfall?"

"Unfortunately that option is not available. The closest station is in Vegas. On a good night they could get a chopper here in 2 ½ hrs.(the campground was 5 hrs. drive from Vegas) but they're experiencing severe thunderstorms which are not expected to let up till morning." the ranger replied sadly, "Alright lets get going. You all know what to do. Time is running out."

* * *

The sun appeared to be half sticking into the nearby mountain as the dogs followed the kids along the trail.

*grumble grumble grumble*

"Connor, I'm hungry." Jenny rubbed her growling stomach.

"I know Jenny. I'm hungry too, but we don't have any food to eat."

"Do you think we're almost there?"

Connor stopped and looked around. There was still no sign they were even making any progress. For all they knew they could have been walking in circles or even in the complete opposite direction of the campground.

"I don't know Jenny."

Looking up at the sky, Connor let out a sigh of defeat. There was no way they could keep continuing on when they still had no idea where they were, and the sun was almost gone. They needed to find somewhere to sleep.

A slight breeze blew past and sent a quick chill up Connor's back. They needed to find a place to protect them from the night breeze.

Connor scanned around, looking for anything that could provide suitable shelter for the night, when something caught his eye. Something kind of round and dark.

"Come on, this way."

As they drew closer, the hole got bigger.

It was a cave.

"Perfect" Connor thought. It would protect them from the wind and rain if any should fall. "Come on Jenny, in here."

The cave was not huge but it was plenty big to allow them to stand with at least a few feet to spare or more. It appeared to be deep but they dared not go any further then the mouth of the cave for fear of getting lost. Not to mention it was pretty dark and they had nothing to light the way.

Jenny sat down against the wall of the cave and hugged her knees to her chest. Even though the cave blocked any breezes from them, it didn't fully protect them from the chill of the night air. Scooter saw the little girl shiver and walked over to lay beside her. Snuggling his body as close as he could.

"Do you think they know we're gone?"

Connor stood at the cave entrance and watched the last of the sun disappear into the horizon, picturing how much trouble they were gonna be in when they got back.

"Yeah" he sighed, "they know."

Feeling a chill run up his spine again, he walked over and sat close to his sister. Bruno followed him and snuggled his body tightly to Connor, just as Scooter did to Jenny, thus enveloping the children in a blanket of warm fur.

One by one a big yawn escaped their mouths and within minutes the exhausted travelers were sound asleep.

* * *

"ROARRRRRR!"

The group of four jumped in unison as the sound startled them all awake.

"AHHHHH!" Jenny screamed as she spotted the big black bear just outside the mouth of the cave in the early morning sunlight.

"ROARRRRR!"

Strings of saliva could be seen dripping from the bear's jaw as he roared angrily at the uninvited guests in his home. In a flash both dogs were on their feet. Knowing his reflexes were not as fast as they used to be, Scooter used his body to nudge the children back and away from the bear while Bruno stood between the group and the large beast. His hair stood on end along the middle of his back, his teeth bared, ready to fight.

Bruno growled at the bear, warning it to back off but the bear didn't budge.

Bruno lunged and snapped at the bear's front feet. The bear roared back in anger and swatted at the dog. Bruno ducked and dodged the swipe, then took another snap at its feet. The bear stood up on its hind legs trying to intimidate the 'pest' at his feet but Bruno refused to back down.

"Go away you stupid bear!" Connor yelled. He found a stick on the cave floor and attempted to help Bruno but try as he might, he could not get past Scooter who refused to let the children get close.

As the bear took another swat at Bruno, the dog ducked then darted between the bear's hind legs. As soon as he got through he turned and bit the bear's hind end, causing the bear to drop back on all four feet and spin around. Bruno wanted to lure the bear away from his friends so they could escape to safety.

Again Bruno snapped at the bear's feet and retreated. Taunting the bear to follow him. The bear tried again to swat at the dog at his feet and again Bruno ducked, dodging the bear's claw. Bruno took another lunge at the bear's feet and jumped back, but as he landed his right hind foot stepped on a rock and he lost his balance, falling on his belly.

The bear raised his claw to strike.

"NOOOOO!" the kids screamed.

*BANG!*

The bear roared as he felt something pierce his right thigh.

*BANG!*

Another shot rang out.

During the bear's distracted state Bruno took the opportunity to get up and dart out of the way. At the same time the kids and Scooter slipped from the cave.

The bear turned to run off into the woods. He got no further then a few feet when he collapsed on the ground. Two tranquilizer darts sticking out of its hindquarters.

"MOM! DAD!" the kids yelled as they spotted their parents behind the ranger, rifle still aimed at the bear in case it stirred.

Scooter joined Bruno at his side as they watched the kids dash over to their parents. As the kids jumped into their arms, two familiar faces came into view.

*WOOF! WOOF!*

The dogs sprinted over to Grissom and Sara and jumped around their feet excitedly. Grissom and Sara knelt down and each hugged a dog around the neck.

"You know if we weren't so happy to see the four of you safe and sound we'd ground you two for a year?" Sara told the dogs.

Bruno and Scooter arched an ear at each other in confusion.

Ground them? What's that? They've heard that line before but still had no clue what it meant. Grissom and Sara couldn't help but laugh at their expressions.

"Is the bear dead?" asked Jenny, still holding her mom tightly.

"No dear, its just sleeping. The rangers will take it deeper into the woods and release it so it hopefully doesn't run into humans again." the mother answered, "Now lets get back to camp where we can discuss how long you'll be grounded for. I think 10-20 yrs. Sounds good."

"But the dogs aren't getting grounded" Connor whined, having heard Sara's comment.

"That's cause they're dogs and don't know any better. You do." the father lectured.

"Awww man" Connor whined.

* * *

"So how far away were the kids from the campground?" Greg asked.

"About 8 miles. They weren't that far really but they were smart to stop when it got dark when they didn't know where they were. We must have been just two miles east of them when we had to suspend the search due to darkness. I don't think anyone slept all night worrying about them." Grissom said.

"You guys were pretty brave huh? To take on that bear?" Nick scratched Bruno behind the ear.

"Our little heroes" Sara chuckled as the gang looked at the newspaper clipping in the album.

**Local dogs save lost children from bear attack **the headline read.

In the picture the two dogs smiled with medals hung around their necks. The children on either side of them and the mayor of Las Vegas behind them.

"Where were you two when I needed saving last week?" asked Greg.

"That was a rat Greg, not a bear" Cath pointed out.

"Hey, it was a very big rat" Greg stated.

The gang all laughed at Greg's defensiveness.

"Come on Greg. Flip the page. Let's see what's next." Brass ordered.

Greg did as he was told and turned the album page.

"Awwww" the gang chorused in unison at the next picture.

"Look at the two of them" smiled Catherine.

.

_**TBC…**_

A/N: Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated and I hope you'll leave me one. I'm running out of ideas for the duo so if anyone can think of a suggestion I'd love to hear it. If I use it I'll give you credit for the suggestion. Thanks again for reading.

~Neelloc12~


	8. I Love A Parade

Disclaimer: Same as usual.

A/N: This is just a fun, happy, fluffy chapter for you all. Hope you enjoy it and please leave a review. As always this story is not beta'd so any and all mistakes are mine. Now on with the story.

.

* * *

_**Chapter 8- I Love A Parade**_

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"Is there a reason the boys were dressed up in costumes? Or do you just like to torment your dogs for fun. Kind of like you do with Ecklie, only without the costumes." asked Doc Robbins to Grissom.

"Talk to her. It was her idea. She made me go along with it…OOF!" Grissom rubbed his side after Sara gave him a jab with her left elbow.

"Hey now! You liked it and you know it. Besides it was for a good cause." Sara laughed.

"What cause?" asked Super Dave

"The Las Vegas Rescue League Scooter came from. It was like a big fair all for dogs with games, vendors, and topped off with a costume contest parade. They had supplies for cats too."

* * *

"OK boys. Time to get going to the fair. You two look so adorable" Sara beamed at the dogs.

"I'm not sure they would agree" chuckled Gil as he noted the confused looks on the dogs' faces. Sara couldn't help but giggle herself when she looked at their faces.

"Don't worry boys, its only temporary. As soon as we get home we'll take those clothes off of you."

"I like the sound of that." Grissom wiggled his eyebrows as his eyes trailed down Sara's body and back up again. Sara sighed as she shook her head. What was she going to do with him?

"Down boy" she laughed, "let's get going to the park before we're late. We have to register the boys in the costume parade."

Thankfully the fair was only four blocks away, and figuring parking was probably going to be a nightmare, chose to walk. It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in the high 60s so the dogs wouldn't get hot in their costumes.

"OK boys, lets go." She hitched the leash to Scooter's collar while Gil did the same with Bruno and headed out the door.

* * *

"Oh my god. Look at this place." Sara was amazed at all the people and dogs around the park. She had never seen the place so crowded. Rows of booths filled half of the mile long park while the other half was filled with games and activities for the dogs to do with their owners. By the park entrance was a sign listing the day's events and the times for each contest and demonstration. The costume parade was listed for 10 a.m. and would take place in the streets, which had been closed off to traffic for the day, surrounding the perimeter of the park.

"I guess they want to get the parade done first so dogs can get out of their costumes for the other events later." Gil mused as he and Sara scanned the list. "We should enter the boys in a few of these little contests."

"I didn't know there was going to be all these activities. I had just heard about the vendors, parade, and demonstrations." Sara commented, "So where's your mother? I thought Betty was going to meet us here?"

"She should have been here by now. She was taking a taxi. I told her to meet us at the main entrance." Grissom scanned the area, starting to feel a little nervous.

"Wait, I see her Gil."

"Where?"

"Right over there at the adoption booth."

"The adoption booth?"

About 50 yards away was an adoption booth set up. A long table with a couple of volunteers from the shelter stood at the front with a number of exercise pens forming a letter 'L' behind them. A small number of puppies to adult dogs filled each one. A row of two-tiered cat cages lined the other side, completing a 'U' shape with the dog pens behind the table and volunteers. Across from one of the volunteers was Betty Grissom, bent over the table and filling out a piece of paper. Gil and Sara looked at each other a little surprised, then headed over to the booth. Trying not to startle his mother, Grissom walked up next to her and waved his hand to get her attention.

"_Hi mom. What are you doing? Signing up to be a volunteer?"_

"_Hello dear" _Betty reached up to hug her son. Then gave a hug to Sara. _"Hello Sara dear"_

"_and look at my favorite 'grandsons'. So adorable in their costumes."_

"_Thanks again for making their costumes for us Betty."_

"_It was my pleasure dear."_

She gave each dog a gentle scratch behind the ear.

"_Uh mom?"_ Gil pointed at the paper on the table Betty had been filling out, reminding her of his previous question. _"Oh yes…that."_ Betty smiled sheepishly, _"Well dear, I'm adopting a cat."_

"_A cat?"_ Gil and Sara asked in unison.

"_Well I got here early and while I was waiting for the four of you, I wandered over to the adoption booth and started looking at the cats. As soon as I met Daisy I knew it was meant to be."_

"_Daisy?"_ Gil asked.

"She's one of our senior cats" spoke up the volunteer, "and since your mother is also a senior, she qualifies for our Senior for Seniors program which entitles her to a discount off the adoption fee.

"_So what is it about Daisy that spoke to you mom?"_

Betty signaled for her son and Sara to follow her. She lead them down the side and down a few cages. In the top cage of the tier was Daisy. A beautiful long-haired white cat with ice blue eyes. Daisy rolled onto her back when she saw her audience gathered outside her cage.

"_Isn't she beautiful?"_

"_Yes she is mom. But how did you know you were meant to bring her home?"_

"_Well she's 10, an old gal like me. She deserves to have a good home to live out her days. Not to mention we have another thing in common."_

Betty pointed to Daisy's information card. Under special notes it said in bold letters, DEAF-Indoor cat ONLY.

"_It's a sign. We're two old gals in a silent world. We're meant to be together." _Betty beamed happily.

They walked around back to the table so Betty could finish filling out the form and pay the adoption fee, refusing help from Gil and Sara. They watched the volunteer clip an 'adopted' card to Daisy's cage before walking off. They would pick up Daisy at the end of the day. Since Betty obviously hadn't planned on bringing home a companion that day, she didn't have any cat supplies at home so they would need to pick some up. Thankfully the vendors had a wide variety of pet care products. They were sure to find what they needed.

"ATTENTION PLEASE! LAST CALL FOR PET PARADE SIGN UPS. LAST CALL PET PARADE SIGN UPS! PARADE BEGINS IN 20 MINS.!"

"Oh my god. We gotta get the boys signed in. We'll have to get the supplies later. Let's go" Sara hurried ahead.

"LET THE PARADE BEGIN!" yelled the mayor of Las Vegas through his megaphone, "please make sure to give yourselves plenty of room from the other owners and dogs so the judges can see your dog's costumes clearly!"

Sara did a last minute adjustment on both dogs' costumes as they waited for the crowd to thin out in front of them and begin walking themselves. Sara walked in front with Scooter while Grissom followed behind with Bruno. The parade was one lap around the streets surrounding the park, passing by the judges' stage by the main park entrance. Three judges watched the dogs walk by and jotted notes on their clipboards. Each dog had a number pinned to the side of their costumes so the judges would know who was who.

Betty stood just past the judges' stage and waved excitedly at Sara and Gil as they walked past with the dogs. People in the crowd could be heard 'Oooing' and 'awwing' while they pointed at the different costumes. Sara tried not to stare at the judges as they walked by but stole a couple of quick glances, hoping she could tell if they were noticing the boys' costumes. She thought she caught two of the judges whispering as they looked at Scooter but that could have been just her wishful thinking. In no time at all they completed the lap and then stood with Betty in front of the stage as they waited patiently, or rather impatiently, for the judges' results. What was really only ten minutes felt like an hour when the mayor stepped up to the mic on the judges' stage.

"MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE! WE NOW HAVE THE RESULTS FOR THE PET PARADE COSTUME CONTEST. THERE WILL BE 3 AGE DIVISIONS-PUPPY, ADULT, AND SENIOR, WITH RIBBONS FOR THE TOP 3 IN EACH DIVISION. WILL YOU PLEASE BRING YOUR DOGS UP ON STAGE WHEN THEY ARE ANNOUNCED AND REMAIN HERE FOR PICTURES. THANK YOU."

"IN THE PUPPY DIVISION. THIRD PLACE GOES TO…."

At this point Sara had to admit she zoned out a little as the names were announced since it wouldn't have any effect on their dogs. The three puppies were brought up on stage as their names were announced, all looking adorable in their little costumes, given their ribbons, and pictures were taken. The trio and their owners were then ushered to the side to make room for the next group of winners.

The mayor reproached the mic. "AND NOW FOR THE ADULT DIVISION."

Sara gripped Grissom's free hand with hers and closed her eyes, listening intently for Bruno's name. Hoping he would place.

"THIRD PLACE GOES TO…..BRUNO GRISSOM AS 'BARK' KENT"

Sara squealed with delight and hugged Gil before kneeling and giving Bruno a big hug. Gil lead him up on stage. Sara and Betty watched proudly as Bruno, a little confused at the crowd applauding him, walked across the stage in his little grey slacks, white buttoned dress shirt which was opened at the top to reveal a Superman's 'S' t-shirt, and a pair of dark rimmed glasses with fake lenses on his face. Bruno carried a rubber newspaper dog toy in his mouth to complete the outfit. The last two winners were announced, given their ribbons as well, and another picture taken. Then the trio was ushered to the back to make room for the final group of winners.

"AND NOW FOR THE FINAL GROUP. THE SENIOR DIVISION"

Sara now held Betty's hand tightly since Gil was still on stage with Bruno.

"AND THIRD PLACE GOES TO…"

Not Scooter.

"AND SECOND PLACE GOES TO…"

Still not Scooter.

"AND FINALLY FIRST PLACE GOES TO…"

"please please please" Sara muttered under her breathe"

"SCOOTER GRISSOM AS 'HAIRY' POTTER"

Sara stood there in shock. Scooter had won his division. Betty's hug snapped her out of her daze and nudged her towards the stage. Just like Bruno, Scooter was a little confused over the crowd making a fuss over him in his Gryffindor school robes, complete with maroon vest and black cloak with the Gryffindor patch on the upper corner of the chest. To complete the Harry Potter look he had little black frames with fake lenses and Sara had painted a little gold lightning bolt on his forehead with non-toxic dye that would wash right out with a washcloth.

The traditional photo was taken, then one more will all three groups together. Each dog with their prize ribbon pinned to their costume. First prize came with a year's supply of dog biscuits, second prize got eight months worth, while third prize got four months worth. Needless to say the Grissom household would not need to buy biscuits for a very long time. Sara, Gil, and the dogs rejoined Betty on the grass.

"_I'm so proud of you boys."_

Bruno and Scooter simply panted happily back at their 'grandmother', having no clue what they did to make her happy but they didn't care as long as she was.

"_Why don't we take the costumes off the boys now instead of waiting to get home. Then they can participate in some contests and we can get mom's supplies for Daisy."_ Gil suggested.

They did just that and placed the costumes in a plastic bag a nearby vendor was kind enough to give them. The rest of the day went by like a breeze. They found all the crucial supplies Betty would need for Daisy along with a few toys. They even found a vendor who embroidered dogs' names on bandanas and purchased a couple for the boys. A nice royal blue for Bruno and a bright red one for Scooter.

Next they participated in the tail wag contest. Both boys failed to place since their tails were too slow despite their happiness. Next Gil and Bruno tried their luck at the Frisbee catch contest. Bruno placed 5th. Scooter did not participate since he didn't like to play catch.

Lastly they watched a border collie sheep and duck herding demonstration and a dachshund sprint race before returning to the adoption booth to pick up Daisy. They helped Betty carry everything back to their house and then gave her and Daisy a ride home.

* * *

Greg turned the page to find the newspaper clipping of the boys' winning photograph.

"Glad I'm not your dog. I'd have to bite you for making me wear a costume."

Sara gave Greg the eye.

"OR maybe not" he cowered, smirking.

"It was a great day and Betty found a great friend."

"How is Daisy doing by the way Betty?" Catherine asked as Gil signed.

"_She's doing very well thank you. 14 yrs. Old and still going strong."_

"OK Greggo, let's see what's next. This walk through memory lane is fun." Nick suggested.

Greg did as he was told and turned the page.

.

TBC…

* * *

A/N: Hope you liked my little play on the Harry Potter and Clark Kent names, neither of which I own of course. Thank you for reading and reviews are greatly appreciated. I hope you'll leave me one.

~Neelloc12~


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